Avery Federico has been acting and performing since she was four.  Her mother decided to put her and her brother, Ben, in theater. Neither her mother nor her father had experience in the world of performing arts, but both of her grandparents were very talented. 

Her favorite role was when she played Annie in Annie.  “It was a turning point for me, it was the first time I took acting seriously.  I really understood what I had to do and how to execute it,”  said Avery.  She felt the role was perfect for her and came at just the right time.  Avery says Daddy Warbucks, played by John Noble, was perfect for the role.     

This Halloween weekend she is a part of the ensemble for Westmorland Performing Art’s second performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show.  “WPA has been more welcoming than any other company I’ve been with in the past.  Working with their professional actors has been really cool.  Seeing how they work has let me get a better idea of what to expect in the future.”    

Rocky Horror Picture Show is the story of Janet (Catherine Harkins)  and Brad (Anthony Marino) who get stuck with a flat tire during a storm.  They discover the mansion of Frank-N-Furter (Kevin O’Leary), a scientist.  A twist of events happens when they get to the Castle, they meet wild characters and Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation named “Rocky” (Alex Podolinsky). The ensemble creates life for the show.  “Every show has leads that will do great but the soul of the performance is in each dance number.”  The ensemble creates a space for the lead actors to do what they need to do. Her Brother, Ben Federico, plays Magenta, the castle’s maid. 

Each show takes three weeks to produce. Music is learned in the first week, then the show gets blocked and choreographed, and numbers get run.  Tech week (the last week) is used to assemble costumes and clean up the show.  “Tech week is a fast-paced, stressful week.  You have to know what you are doing.  But all your hard work pays off in the end,” said Avery.

For the show, Avery choreographed the song “Hot Patootie.”  The other dance captain, Addison Watkins, helped with spacing, and filling in what she couldn’t.  This year’s show is 80s-themed.  So she tried to incorporate 80s moves into the dance.  Avery has been dancing since she was three years old.  She started with tap and ballet.  Now she takes conditioning, Pointe, Ballet, Jazz, and tap.  “I think I would major in dance and become a teacher of some sort.  That would definitely pique my interest the most.”